Amanta Healthcare Limited's (NSE:AMANTA) stock was strong after they recently reported robust earnings. We did some analysis and think that investors are missing some details hidden beneath the profit numbers.
Many investors haven't heard of the accrual ratio from cashflow, but it is actually a useful measure of how well a company's profit is backed up by free cash flow (FCF) during a given period. To get the accrual ratio we first subtract FCF from profit for a period, and then divide that number by the average operating assets for the period. The ratio shows us how much a company's profit exceeds its FCF.
As a result, a negative accrual ratio is a positive for the company, and a positive accrual ratio is a negative. That is not intended to imply we should worry about a positive accrual ratio, but it's worth noting where the accrual ratio is rather high. That's because some academic studies have suggested that high accruals ratios tend to lead to lower profit or less profit growth.
For the year to September 2026, Amanta Healthcare had an accrual ratio of 0.25. We can therefore deduce that its free cash flow fell well short of covering its statutory profit. Even though it reported a profit of ₹183.3m, a look at free cash flow indicates it actually burnt through ₹653m in the last year. It's worth noting that Amanta Healthcare generated positive FCF of ₹244m a year ago, so at least they've done it in the past. The good news for shareholders is that Amanta Healthcare's accrual ratio was much better last year, so this year's poor reading might simply be a case of a short term mismatch between profit and FCF. Shareholders should look for improved cashflow relative to profit in the current year, if that is indeed the case.
Note: we always recommend investors check balance sheet strength. Click here to be taken to our balance sheet analysis of Amanta Healthcare.
Amanta Healthcare didn't convert much of its profit to free cash flow in the last year, which some investors may consider rather suboptimal. Because of this, we think that it may be that Amanta Healthcare's statutory profits are better than its underlying earnings power. But the good news is that its EPS growth over the last three years has been very impressive. Of course, we've only just scratched the surface when it comes to analysing its earnings; one could also consider margins, forecast growth, and return on investment, among other factors. So if you'd like to dive deeper into this stock, it's crucial to consider any risks it's facing. Be aware that Amanta Healthcare is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis and 3 of those are potentially serious...
This note has only looked at a single factor that sheds light on the nature of Amanta Healthcare's profit. But there is always more to discover if you are capable of focussing your mind on minutiae. For example, many people consider a high return on equity as an indication of favorable business economics, while others like to 'follow the money' and search out stocks that insiders are buying. While it might take a little research on your behalf, you may find this free collection of companies boasting high return on equity, or this list of stocks with significant insider holdings to be useful.
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